Castle of Glass
by SladinForever
Summary: (ROTG sequel) A few years after the "death" of Pitch, the Guardians return for a happy reunion at Tooth Palace, only to have it ruined when a new threat threatens not only the lives of children and the Guardians, but the whole world as well. Will we survive…or perish?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rise of the Guardians or its characters. I make no money off this story. My OC Pyralis/Azar belongs to me, so no stealy :)

**Summary: **A few years after the "death" of Pitch, the Guardians return for a happy reunion at Tooth Palace, only to have it ruined when a new threat threatens not only the lives of children and the Guardians, but the whole world as well. Will we survive…or perish?

**Rating:** T

**Warnings:** Ask

**SladinForever**

* * *

It was night and it was cold. Oh so _very _cold. Darkness and shadows filled the city of Paris, France, all the lights dimmed or snuffed out. One of the iconic buildings, Notre Dame, was also unlit, the gargoyles gleaming in the pale moonlight. One seemed to be missing, though the magnificent structure looked undisturbed. The city itself seemed peaceful enough. However…the streets were deserted, not a single soul in sight. Not even a whisper on the wind could be heard. Was it simply a blackout? Or was there something more? Something…that would strike fear into those that saw it?

"…HrrrrAWRRRRRRR!"

There was a sound like an air horn, a sudden gust of wind, and then the crashing noise of something hitting hard stone. Grey dust rose swiftly in the air around the front of Notre Dame. As it began to clear, an ash-skinned man with wild, spiked-back black hair, and wearing black pants and black cloak that was exposed at the sternum, pressed his hands to the pillar and began to stand. The ground trembled beneath his feet. He looked up and saw a giant stone gargoyle slowly coming near him on all fours, its wild, stone eyes faintly glowing white. Its long, spade-ended tail lashed around behind it. Thick, sharp, stone nails left cracks in the inlaid, cobbled stones with each bone-chilling step. Gritting pointed, pale white teeth, the man stepped forward, holding his arm out to the side a few inches. Swirling, black shadows wrapped around his wrist and out towards his fingers as he glared at the gargoyle.

"Die."

Vanishing, the man reappeared high in the air above the gargoyle before he came down at its head. Placing his hands against its skull, the shadows pressed down hard, forcing the gargoyle over sideways. The ground quaked violently as its stone body crashed into the stone. It snarled as it fell. Its tail swiftly came whipping up from the right, the end slapping the man right in the neck and head. He cried out in pain as he was sent flying, blood flying from a wound that was sliced into him against a neck tendon. He crashed sideways into the stone before bouncing once and landing on his back. He slid back a few inches before stopping, his legs both turned to one side and his arms sticking away from his sides.

Grunting, the gargoyle dug its front claws on one foot into the ground and tried to get back on its feet. It was a troublesome feat, being made out of solid stone and weighing several tons and all. It even used its tail for support as it forced its way up. Facing the fallen man, the gargoyle growled and then opened its mouth wide to screech again. Out of nowhere, a large blast of burning hot, orange and red fire came hurtling towards the gargoyle's face. Its eyes widened seconds before the immense blast hit, sending it flying at tremendous speed into the door of the cathedral. Feeling the ground shake beneath his body, the man dug his elbows into the ground as he sat up, slightly disoriented. Shaking his head, he looked over and saw smoke and flames surrounding the front of the cathedral.

"Can't even stop a measly little gargoyle?" a young, male voice asked. Jerking his head to the left, the man saw a young male with flaming red hair standing a few feet away, staring at the cathedral. "And here I thought you were stronger than _that_…" The young man turned his head in his direction, smirking and adding, "Pitch."

Pitch Black's—also known as the Boogeyman—cold, black eyes narrowed. Who was this suddenly-came-out-of-nowhere boy? Before he could even ask, the sound of rocks crumbling and falling away reached their ears. Looking over, they both saw the gargoyle step forward, pieces of its head falling away into shards. One ear was broken off in half and one of the cheeks had a small crater in it. Gritting its stone fangs, the gargoyle opened its mouth wide again.

"GRRRAWRRRRRRRRRR!"

The young man grinned maliciously. "It seems this one has been enhanced to endure devastating attacks. Then again, fear is a strong motivator…"

Pitch's eyes widened. "I do not believe you and I have met, Lord…?"

The gargoyle charged at them.

"My true name is Pyralis, but I much prefer Azar," the young man answered. Lifting his right hand by his side, Azar formed a hot flame in the palm of his hand. Pitch began to stand, never having heard of him before. At the moment, he seemed to be an ally. "You better pay close attention, Pitchy." The flame began to grow, spreading around Azar's entire hand. "Because I am about to show you true power."

Before Pitch could yell, "wait", Azar ran forward, a trail of smoke falling behind as he ran towards the charging gargoyle. When they were a few feet away, Azar leaped high into the air, curled his fire-engulfed hand into a fist, and then aimed a punch for the very top of the stone gargoyle's head. As the two opposing forces touched, everything that happened, happened so fast. What was almost mistaken for an explosion, fire erupted from the gargoyle's head and engulfed Azar and its body. It cried out into the darkness, forcing the flames to widen their assault and shroud Azar and the gargoyle itself. A blast of hot, fiery air flew at Pitch. Gasping, he quickly lifted his arms in front of his face and chest and was hit by the aftershock of the blast. He flew back fast, crashing into the steps leading up to the cathedral and tumbling down a few within seconds. After he rolled, he reached out and grabbed a step, causing him to smash down on the steps below. With his eyes closed, he growled in pain as it spread through his chest and legs.

Soon, all that could be heard was the roaring sound of the fire that remained and the sound of millions of stone pieces as they fell to the ground. Slowly lifting his head, Pitch pushed up off the step with his hands and looked over the landing. He saw the flames crackling high into the air, covering a wide range of street. Looking around, he couldn't see Azar anywhere. But, then, something caught his eye towards the center of the field. Getting up and placing his right foot on the next step above, Pitch's eyes narrowed in a glare, his brow furrowed as he saw the silhouette emerging from the rising smoke and flames. Azar slowly raised his arms in the air from his sides.

"Thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen! It has been a real pleasure serving you today! Now, now, no need to bow!" When Azar was near the top of the steps, he stopped, dropping his arms. "Just doing my civic duties and blah, blah, blah, you're welcome, don't forget to…wash your socks or something." Pitch stared in annoyance at him. "How did you like that, hm? I just saaaay-aved your _life_."

Snorting, Pitch seemingly glided up the stairs, dropping down half an inch when he stopped a few feet from Azar. "I did not need your help, boy. I was going to destroy that nightmare-"

"How? From the ground?" Azar asked. "Pa-_lease_! That thing was ready to bite your spiky head off!It was a good thing I have been keeping track of you for some time now, Pitch, otherwise you wouldn't be here anymore. Then no one would know fear and the meddlesome Guardians would win. Is that what you want?" Pitch didn't answer. "Darn right I'm right." He paused. "_So_, what do you _saaaay_-?"

There was a long pause. The fire behind Azar was starting to dissipate. After a few more seconds, Pitch turned slightly to the right and started to walk around Azar, examining him from head to toe.

"Who exactly _are _you?"

Azar looked at Pitch over his shoulder. "I am Pyralis, Creator of fire, Provider of light, Maker of passionate heat, and Master of roasting stone gargoyles, to name a few." Azar paused to chuckle. "Heh, that last one was a joke."

"As I am well aware…" Pitch uttered, chancing a sidelong look at Azar from the corner of his slitted eye. He stopped a few feet away to Azar's right, his hands behind his back. "It seems to me that you have the makings of a Guardian. So why, is it, that you saved me?" Azar didn't answer. Pitch snorted, looking straight ahead. "What do you want with me, Pyralis?"

Azar turned to face him. "I prefer Azar. As for what I want, well…I have a proposition."

Piqued with interest, Pitch turned to him, his arms returning to his sides. "Go on…"

Looking slightly to the right, Azar lifted his hand and formed fire in it. "Did you know, that fire can reflect the events to come? If you look close enough-" Azar brought his other hand around the growing flame and lifted it up to stare with pale yellow eyes. "-You might just see a…ah, _flicker_." Holding his hands out, the fire sparked heavily, sending up a clear image of Pitch lying in a hole, his life flickering out like a dying ember from his eyes. The real Pitch's eyes slowly widened as he saw Azar appear by fire!Pitch's side and reaching down for him. As soon as it came, the sparks dissipated and Azar brought his hands back in. Closing them, the fire was snuffed out completely, smoke wisping out from the cracks and spaces of his fingers and palms. When they also vanished, Azar lowered his hands, staring calmly at Pitch. "One day, you will die, Pitch. I do not know when, I do not know how, but you will. All I do know is this." Azar was suddenly in front of Pitch, making him jump in surprise. The young man's eyes were narrowed. "Before your last dying _breath_, I will come to you and I will _save_ you. And when that day comes, you will _owe me_."

There was silence. Pitch didn't understand it, but he felt…fear. Those penetrating, yellow eyes were dangerous, almost demonic, just below the surface. Azar seemed to be more than meets the eye and it caused worry in Pitch. What favor would he owe this still very mysterious young man?

Something suddenly flickered over Azar's eyes. Unable to hold back any longer, Pitch said, "I understand." He barely bowed his head forward before turning away, finally glad to be away from those eyes. Azar watched him start to walk away. "Until we meet again, Pyralis."

Soon, Pitch was out of earshot as he almost blended in with the darkness. Azar stared after him, his eyes narrowed. "I am looking forward to it, my naive little friend…" Turning around, Azar headed down the steps away from the cathedral, the fire snuffing out completely. It didn't take long for him to be deep in the city. A minute later, the clouds began to shift and a bright light began to pour from the heavens. It crossed Azar's path within seconds, making him stop. A voice, just a simple whisper on the wind, spoke to him. He listened closely for a few seconds before he smirked. Turning slightly to the right, Azar looked up at the full moon, whose bright light illuminated where he stood. He snorted in amusement at the Man in the Moon's warning. "One day, you pathetic old fool, you will rue the day you denied what was rightfully mine. Then _I _will become the greatest Guardian who ever lived!" Looking ahead, Azar started to walk away, chuckling behind a dark grin. "And not even your precious _Jack Frost_ will be able to _stop _me."

Silence. Nothing stirred. Slowly, the clouds moved back across the moon, shrouding the city into darkness once more.


	2. Where is Your Luck Now?

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

One of the things about storytelling is that you have to question why something is written the way it is. But don't let it stop you from continuing to read. I mean, I _did _foreshadow it for you ;)

**SladinForever**

* * *

******1,234 years later…**

There were puffy white clouds in the bright blue sky. It was peaceful and serene, not a bird or plane in sight. The sun was as warm and bright as ever. And the wind? Ah, the wind was perfect! It was the _perfect _day to fly in the clouds. Something suddenly darted out of a large one, sending bits of fluff around.

"WOOHOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

White, spiky hair rustled in the gusting wind and a blue hoodie flapped around. Flakes of ice and snow swirled around Guardian Jack Frost, his bare feet resting flawlessly on a wooden staff as he did vicious flips and turns through the sky. He was having the time of his life as he made his way towards Tooth Palace. It had been a few years since he last made contact with his Guardian friends, so getting the invite for a reunion was an honor. He would also get to meet the other magical characters, like Lucky the Leprechaun, Father Time, Mother Nature, the Stork, and so on. Today was just going to be the _perfect_ day!

Meanwhile, in Ireland, Lucky the Leprechaun emerged from his cave dwelling deep under ground, humming a happy little tune. He had thick, wild red hair, was wearing a green and gold tuxedo with waistcoat, and had on his best, curly-pointed shoes. A small bag of gold was jingling at his waistcoat on his left side and a gold pocket watch with gold chain on the right. He was about to summon a rainbow to go to Tooth Palace when he suddenly flew into the door of his cave, the wood cracking right down the middle. Lucky groaned while opening his amber and gold eyes and lifting his head. Standing a few feet away was a young man with flaming red hair, yellow with flecks of cold grey eyes, and a devilish grin on his face.

"You're not so lucky anymore now, are you, little man?"

Before Lucky could move, a burst of flames attacked…

Elsewhere, deep underground in the dark, a dim light glowed and pulsated, casting shadows along rock walls. In the palm of a pale white hand was an orb. Inside, grey dust flickered with each pulse. The light traveled over the hand and up a slim arm in wisps. As the light continued upward, there was a dark chuckle. In the darkness, pearly white fangs glistened behind a wicked grin. They slowly pulled apart as the chuckle grew.

"Prepare yourselves, Guardians. Because soon, the _Bogeyman_ will have his revenge. And not even your precious Jack Frost will be able to stop me."

The light ghosted over the voice's owner, revealing the long, pale face and cold silver-golden yellow eyes of Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. He laid, propped up, on a stone bed, holding the pulsing orb in his hand. As the light around it grew bigger, Pitch threw his head back and laughed maniacally into the darkness.

Back in Ireland, Lucky was held in the air by rings of flame around his wrists and ankles. His left eye was closed as blood and burns covered over the left side of his face. He growled at the young man controlling the fire in front of him.

"Th-The other Guardians and f-fated-to-be G-Guardians will make you _pay _f-for this, Pyralis!"

"Believe me, my little Irish friend, they will be paying. With their _lives_. And there is nothing you can do about it." Forming fire in his hands, Pyralis smirked at Lucky. "Soon, the entire world will bow before their God, Azar!"

Jumping back into the air and hovering, Azar held his hands back as far as they could go and began to power up. The flames grew bigger and hotter every second. Quickly bringing his arms forward and fully outstretched, he pressed his inner wrists together firmly, letting the two individual flames become one giant fire ball. Lucky began to struggle futilely in his bonds, trying to break free before Azar fired. Deep down, he knew it wouldn't end well for him.

When the fire ball was the size of a big beach ball, Azar released it. With a loud whistle, it flew straight at Lucky, who finally stopped moving. As he watched the fire get closer, he slowly closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

_'Do not let this monster win, Sandy. I will be waiting for you, if and when I return to this world._

Right as the fire ball touched his lowered head, tears fell from Lucky's eyes. Then, he was blasted into smithereens, his body burning to a crisp. As the fire ball stayed in the air where Lucky had been, Azar lowered himself to the ground and landed with ease. He watched the fire blaze and burn the little man's body, a smirk on his face. In his right ear was a gold loop that pulsed with power. As the fire slowly dissipated, the light burst out and plummeted to the ground at Azar's feet. It traveled swiftly through the grass, dirt, and rock. After ten seconds, it entered a dark cavern. The same dark cavern that housed Pitch and his orb. When he watched the light crash into the orb, a smirk formed on his face.

"One down…"

Azar stepped up to the burnt body of Lucky the Leprechaun, his face blank. Out of nowhere, a tear each fell from his eyes, down his cheeks, and dripped off his chin. Blinking anymore tears away, Azar crouched and placed his hand on Lucky's head.

"Rest in peace, Conamara."

Standing back up, Azar took a step back, stared at Lucky for another moment, and then turned around. He then walked away and vanished in a puff of fiery smoke, seconds before the Sandman came…


	3. A Not So Happy Reunion

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1

When Pyralis/Azar said "Rest in piece, ******Conamara**" he was saying "my friend" in Irish to Lucky. He will say "Rest in piece, my friend" to all of the other Guardians and non-Guardians he kills in their native language too, as a proper burial for their courage and power to protect the children of Earth

**SladinForever**

* * *

Up in the air, a gold cloud made out of Dream Sand came floating down. Sandman, the Guardian of Dreams, hopped down, particles of sand jumping off and floating away. When he saw a black mound on the ground feet away, a question mark made of the same sand appeared above his spiky-haired head. Mouth gaping open in surprise, Sandy ran as fast as his little legs and feet would allow towards Lucky the Leprechaun. Reaching his side, Sandy held his hands out towards him before he lowered to his knees. He looked Lucky up and down to assess the damage. A clover with a question marked appeared above Sandy's head before he used his sand to roll him over. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Lucky's charred, black face. His wrists and ankles were just as black. His eyes were still open and vacant. Hands shaking slightly, Sandy reached over and closed them. He then lowered his head and closed his eyes in silent prayer.

'_Rest in peace, my dearest friend.'_

After a minute, Sandy lifted his head and opened his eyes. He looked around, to try and assess the situation. The ground had been burned in several places and gold, red, and green glitter was everywhere. A few, gold-handled knives with green blades stuck out of the ground in several places. Standing, he turned around and searched the rest of the large area. Seeing the entrance to Lucky's underground Jewel Castle busted open, Sandy stood up, turned, and ran to it. Stopping right in front of it, he placed his hand on the splintered and burnt door, running his fingers down it. As he pulled his hand away and looked at it, he saw bits of Lucky's red hair and glitter stuck to him. It was all over the door too. Closing his hand into a fist, Sandy turned and slowly closed his eyes. He concentrated hard, trying to picture what could have happened.

In his mind, he saw figures made out of Dream Sand. Lucky was exiting his cave door before it closed on its own behind him due to magic. Stopping a few feet away, he was probably going to summon a rainbow when he flew back, crashing into the door. Sand burst from behind him to indicate he took some damage. Looking up, Lucky looked over to see a person, also made of Dream Sand, with no discerning features to reveal who it was. A hole in the shape of a question mark was in its chest. The figure lifted its arm and fired sand at Lucky, who dodged by diving to the right. The sand hit the door, which explained the burn marks in the wood. Getting back up, Lucky rushed forward, reaching into his pocket. The figure stood its ground even as Lucky whipped out two small knives, the same ones stuck in the ground. He threw them at the figure, but it jumped high into the air. The knives thunked at a slight angle into the ground. Then the figure came down at Lucky, who slid forward to a stop. Whipping out sand (glitter), Lucky threw it at the figure's faceless head. Sandy settled on the assumption that the figure tilted back to not get hit and then kicked Lucky in the face. Lucky flew back, crashing into the ground and spreading glitter on his path.

Landing, the figure threw a ball of sand at Lucky's fallen form. The leprechaun barely sat up before the sand hit the left side of his face. The sand burst away from his face after it hit, forcing him backwards across the ground again. Lucky hit his head and flipped over onto his stomach, his back heaving up and down as he panted. The figure threw rings of sand at Lucky's outstretched hands. They grabbed his wrists and slowly lifted him in the air. The figure did the same to his ankles when Lucky was a few feet in the air. Nothing else happened while Sandy thought of other possibilities before the leprechaun's horrendous death for a while. He soon saw the figure throw a giant ball of sand at Lucky's body, engulfing him when it hit.

Sandy reopened his eyes and let out a voiceless sigh. If his theory was right, then the other Guardians and magical creatures were in danger too. Looking up, Sandy looked around for the Man in the Moon, but he was gone. Dropping his head, Sandy thought for a moment on what to do now. A light bulb made of Dream Sand appeared above his head when he lifted it. Rushing back to Lucky, Sandy slid sand underneath his back and carefully lifted him into the air. He then made a second platform, jumped on, and then hurtled them into the sky, heading for Tooth Palace.

* * *

Jack Frost burst through a thicket of clouds and saw the mountain that housed Tooth Palace far away. Grinning at the sight of it, he urged his staff to go faster, using a burst of snow on the back end to propel himself forward. In just ten minutes, he reached the cave mouth and flew inside. He started to descend towards a large green and yellow structure with several round platforms attached to the base. Far down below was the bottom of the island that the mountain sat on. On one of the completely open platforms, the Guardians and some magical creatures were already there, along with refreshment tables, places to sit, and colorful decorations like balloons and streamers. Jack descended to the floor, jumping off his staff when he was two feet off the ground. He then grabbed his staff as it lowered beside him.

"Your handsome and ice cold Guardian has arrived!"

Hearing the echoing voice, everyone looked over and started to cheer. Grinning, Jack rushed forward, shooting off blasts of ice and snow from his staff. Flying all around the palace and swooning over him were thousands of small tooth fairies. They flitted around everyone, having fun or joining in on others' conversations. Before Jack could reach the area where the Guardians were talking or drinking ice cold beverages, a fairy almost as tall and beautiful as Tooth flitted forward out of nowhere at high speeds, throwing her arms out wide. Jack laughed as Baby Tooth knocked into him, hugging him with the happiest look on her feathered face.

"Ah-haha! It's nice to see you too, Baby Tooth!" Grabbing her arms gently, Jack pushed her back to get a good look at her. He chuckled. "Well, you're not a baby anymore, are ya?" Baby Tooth shook her head. Jack released her arms for her to fly backwards and let the others greet him. Bunny saluted him with his boomerang by one of the refreshment tables. "Hey yo! Bunneh! How's it hanging?!"

"Not'in' really. You?"

Jack twirled his staff around while walking further on the platform. "Oh, same old, same old." Looking away from Bunny, Jack saw Santa standing next to Tooth. He raised his hefty mug of mulled cider, smiling and giving Jack a wink. "Hey, North. How's the toys and Phil?"

North laughed. "Zey are doing very well, Jack!" Reaching him, he patted Frost on the shoulder hard, making his knees buckle. "It has been too long, my friend."

Jack shrugged the hand off, shouldering his staff and putting his other hand in his sweatshirt pocket. "Thanks for the invite." Turning around, Jack admired Tooth Palace, grinning like he was the luckiest guy in the world. "_Man_ have I missed this place. And you guys, of course." Jack looked at everyone when he said this, but something felt off. He frowned, trying to figure out who he wasn't seeing. His eyes soon widened slightly in confusion. "Hey, where's Sandy? I thought he would be here already."

"He had to go to Ireland to pick up Lucky ze Leprechaun," North answered. "Zey should be here any minute."

Jack smiled. "Okay, cool. I hope they arrive soon. I'd like to meet Lucky. He sounds like a cool guy."

Bunny finally came over to talk to them more face-to-face. "Lucky is very generous, mate. He provides glitter for me eggs close to Easter time. He also gives North gold and other colorful items for his toys. He and Sandy are great friends."

Nodding, Jack turned to the beverage table, aimed his staff, and then carefully fired some ice at a cup that was filled with red punch. He brought it over to himself, setting it down in the palm of his free hand.

"So, what are you and North planning for your holidays this year? What do you plan on doing differently?" Jack asked.

The two male Guardians explained one by one what their plans for this year were. North was making more electronic toys while Bunny had some new, cute and neat designs for his eggs. Tooth was about to tell Jack about Baby Tooth becoming her assistant when someone came zooming into the palace. North noticed them first and grinned.

"Hey, it's Sandy!" he shouted, pointing in his direction.

Spinning around, Jack saw Sandy coming down towards the platform at high speeds on his Dream Sand. He whooped and hollered, happy to see him again after so long.

"What's up, little man?!"

Jack's excitement faltered when they saw something coming up behind Sandy. As the Guardian got closer, they could see his distressed and sad face. Soon, everyone else looked too, the sudden unsettling silence grabbing their attention. When they saw the burnt body of Lucky the Leprechaun, a few gasps broke the silence. Before Sandy and Lucky landed in the middle of the platform, Jack threw his staff at an unsuspecting Bunny and ran towards them. When he was feet away, he slowed and then crouched in front of Sandy. The Guardian looked up at Jack with pained eyes. Out of sand, he made an image of Lucky being hit by a blast and then burning up above his head to communicate. Jack's eyes were wide. Tooth flew over their heads to see Lucky. Her delicate hand flew up to her mouth.

"Oh no! Lucky!"

In seconds, everyone came forward to get a better look. Mother Nature quickly grabbed Father Time in a tight, upset hug after she saw the damage to Lucky's body. Everyone that was looking watched as Sandy replayed his theory above his head with his sand. By the end, he produced an image of fire, to indicate that that was the culprit to Lucky's death. Swallowing once the explanation was done, Jack stood up, looking at everyone and feeling worried.

"Who would do this? Who wanted Lucky dead?" No one spoke because they didn't have an answer. Eyes narrowing, Jack growled. "You saw what Sandy said! Someone who can use fire murdered Lucky! Who in the world does that?! Who has the gall to kill an innocent man?! Huh?!"

"Jack, we don't know," Tooth said sadly. Jack turned on her. "Everyone loved Lucky. He gave us so much strength and good luck when we needed it the most." A determined look appeared on her face. "But we're going to find out, Jack. We're going to find the monster that did this to our friend, no matter the cost."

Coming up behind him, North placed his hand on Jack's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "Don' worry, Jack. We will avenge Lucky. Even _if_ his good luck is gone…"

It took a while for Jack to calm down. Closing his eyes, he released a deep breath before looking at everyone. "What do we do now? Is there _any_ way to bring him back?" No one spoke. Jack turned to North and Bunny after he thought of something. "How did Sandy come back? He died once and came back to life. Can't we do the same for Lucky?"

Bunny looked away, anger and sorrow filling his face. "No."

Jack looked confused. "How come?"

Bunny looked at him, glowering. "Because he wasn' a Guardian."

"Why does that matter?"

North shook his head. "No one really knows. Some say only Man in Moon can bestow power of reincarnation when he appoints a Guardian."

Jack got hopeful at this information. "Then let's go ask him."

Moving towards Bunny, Jack snatched his staff out of his paw and was about to take off.

"No one has seen Man in Moon in weeks," North said, stopping Jack in his tracks. He turned back around. "Nor did he answer his invitation. He is gone." Gritting his teeth, Jack looked down at the floor, glaring. No one spoke for a while, most still too stunned to speak. Soon, North stepped forward, looking at everyone. "Lucky must be returned to his homeland, so that he may be buried with ze other ancient leprechauns before him. Zen we will search for his murderer and stop zem from hurting anymore magical creatures. Lucky's death will not be in vain!" Everyone nodded and spoke in agreement. Reaching into his pants pocket, North pulled out a snow globe and held it to his mouth. "Jewel Castle, Ireland."

The snow globe shuddered to life, sparking with magic and green clovers. North tossed it to the floor. The portal opened up inside of Lucky's underground castle, where a plethora of young and old leprechauns were mining different colored gems and jewels. When they heard the whirling of the portal, they stopped and looked at it, confused. Back at Tooth Palace, Sandy lifted Lucky on his sand and moved towards the portal. Stopping in front of Jack, he asked him to go with him with his Dream Sand. Jack blinked in confusion.

"Why me?"

_It would honor me if you did_.

Jack's eyes widened. Smiling weakly, he moved around Sandy, hooked his staff to his hip, and then placed his arms under Lucky's platform. Sandy made the sand disappear to let Jack carry him instead. Then the two friends walked through the portal. Leprechauns came rushing over to see what was going on. When they realized it was their boss, they started to weep, cry, and pray for him. Eyes narrowed in sadness, Jack stopped in front of them, bent his knees carefully, and then sat down. Leaning forward, he gently placed Lucky on the ground.

"We are sorry for your loss," Jack said quietly. "Lucky was found murdered." Some of the leprechauns closest placed their small hands on Lucky's body, giving him their regards. Others looked shocked at Jack's explanation. "The Guardians and our friends are going to find the one responsible, I promise. Please give him the proper good-bye."

Near the middle of the leprechauns, one that was almost the same height as Lucky came forward, his face naturally hard and cold looking. "You do not need to worry, Jack Frost," he said with a deep voice. "We have a ritual for burying our masters. It will be taken care of right away."

Jack gave a nod. "Thank you."

With his own curt nod, the leprechaun moved the other leprechauns aside in order to reach Lucky's body. Jack stood up and took a few steps back as the leprechaun held his beefy hands over Lucky. He spoke in Gaelic. As he did, glitter began to swirl around his hands. They wrapped around Lucky after a few seconds and spread all the way across his body. The glitter glowed and the burns, charcoal, and dead flesh began to disappear. Right before everyone's eyes, Lucky's body healed itself and his clothes were mended thread-by-thread. When the glitter finished its job, it slowly dissolved away into the ground. Lowering his hands, the leprechaun turned around to face everyone.

"I need four, able-bodied leprechauns to help carry our fallen master to his grave. Then we can perform the burial ritual."

Four, strong-looking leprechauns came forward and stood around Lucky. They then grabbed him in their hands and followed the bigger leprechaun through the castle. Jack and Sandy watched them leave into the parting crowd before returning to the portal. They returned to Tooth Palace and relayed what had happened. North then turned to everyone.

"Due to ze turn of events, the party is canceled. As you return to yer homes, please be safe. Do not lets yer guards _down_. We must find Lucky's murderer before anyone else is targeted."

Jack stood off to the side in thought as everyone started to return to their domains. Baby Tooth flew to his side, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder. Jack looked at her, smiling weakly.

"I'll be fine, Baby Tooth. I just…need some time alone."

Baby Tooth smiled in understanding. She then kissed his cheek before turning around and flying away to direct tooth fairies. Jack watched her for half a minute before grabbing his staff and flying up into the air towards the top of the mountain to think.


End file.
